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Beauty is skin deep…?

Earlier this year I mentioned how I switched up my skin care routine, and had (fully) discovered all that Sephora has to offer. Since I’d gone most of my life without acne, until the last few years where I’ve been experiencing hormonal breakouts, it’s been a struggle to know what direction to head in. I started with Clinique, which for my sensitive/combination skin has been going relatively well. However, once I started searching, I haven’t been able to stop. It seems as though every time I even breathe near a Sephora, they are giving me more samples for similar skin care items, and I want to try them all in my quest to find that miracle product.

Similar to this post I read a few weeks ago from A Pretty Penny, I am realizing that simpler is better. After my product scouring, and weeks of researching brands, ingredients, and the latest technology to clear my skin and make it look younger (and I’m only 25!), I’ve settled on doing nearly nothing chemically (surprise!) based to keep it looking good. Here are my latest tips for the sensitive, combination skin, hormonal acne sufferers like myself !

1. Always be drinking water

It’s a tried and true skin helper because improper hydration is the cause of many skin ailments. Plus, adding detoxing ingredients like lemon, mint, or blueberries, or enhancing the hydration with water-soaked chia seeds, makes it hard to get too bored!

2. Do notwash with hot water

Maybe this is just me, but my mind set for everything is – hot kills bacteria, the hotter the better! NOTE TO SELF: This is not true for skincare. Washing my face, and really whole body with warm or nearly cool water has made a world of difference – less blotchy, less dry. And when it’s less dry, there are less steps to take to make up for how dry it is (ie. moisturizers, serums, heavy lotions).

3. Using real, natural, leaf derived aloe vera

Not only has using true, natural aloe vera been great for moisturizing, but it is unbelievably healing! That means that the scars, scabs, and marks from current or previous breakouts are healing, as I am moisturizing. I’ve been using it at night when the skin does it’s best repairing, and it’s literally worked wonders. And not just the healing and the moisturizing, the aloe has been my miracle product in terms of pore minimizing too! I have oily skin around my t zone and nose, and using the aloe under make up has kept my pores from looking huge all day.

There are a few options for obtaining natural aloe (not, NOT the stuff in the gel form, from the bottle that you use on sunburn, as it’s very little aloe and a lot of thickeners and preservatives!) –

– First, my local Whole Foods has large, aloe leaves for purchase that look like this, and you can then extract the aloe vera following a video like this (from the adorable Kibby Miller, check out everything she does!). You can also buy aloe vera plants for your house, which I have, but you won’t get nearly as much as you would if you can find those huge leaves. Once fully extracted, the fresh aloe should be stored in a sealed tight mason jar as pictured, and in the fridge for the few weeks you should have it. I use a little bit on my face every morning and evening, and now I’ve been using it on actual sunburn!

– You can also buy a product like this Aubrey Organics Aloe Vera, also at Whole Foods or on Amazon. Not exactly the same as extracting from the leaf yourself, but still has the same effects from what I’ve seen!

I saw Jolene speaking about her book “Eat Pretty” last weekend, and I had to know everything! I think it’s easy to forget that the things you put INSIDE your body completely effect everything that comes out of it – be it skin, mood, hair, etc. This book has all the different parts of our diet that we don’t even realize are connected to most issues we have, simply because they are so ingrained in our lives (like caffeine and sugar), it’s just easier to find surface level solutions instead of working from the inside out. So far it’s been incredibly informative and has helped me on my journey to wellness and clear skin!

Thanks for reading, hope this helps for anyone struggling with my same issues! And don’t worry, I still have a few not-so-natural products I’ve discovered in my recent searches which I will detail here very soon.

Post in the comments any of your go-to natural beauty tips, or let me know if these have worked for you!